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The differences between senior medical technologists and medical laboratory technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a senior medical technologist, becoming a medical laboratory technician takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a senior medical technologist has an average salary of $60,849, which is higher than the $51,780 average annual salary of a medical laboratory technician.
The top three skills for a senior medical technologist include customer service, blood pressure and OSHA. The most important skills for a medical laboratory technician are medical laboratory, patients, and ASCP.
| Senior Medical Technologist | Medical Laboratory Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $60,849 | $51,780 |
| Hourly rate | $29.25 | $24.89 |
| Growth rate | - | 16% |
| Number of jobs | 113,217 | 88,721 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 3.33 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Associate Degree, 55% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 12 |
A senior medical technologist specializes in gathering and analyzing blood and bodily samples through a variety of laboratory experiments. They mostly work at hospitals and medical laboratories, working together with other laboratory professionals and physicians. Among their responsibilities include obtaining samples from patients, identifying cell structures and abnormalities, documenting every procedure and observation, and presenting detailed and summarized reports to physicians or patients promptly and efficiently. Furthermore, as a senior medical technologist, it is essential to lead and serve as a mentor to junior medical technologists while implementing the facility's policies and regulations.
A medical laboratory technician is responsible for assisting medical health professionals in conducting laboratory tests to diagnose patients' conditions and provide treatments. Medical laboratory technicians ensure the sanitation of all the tools and equipment before conducting tests. They collect adequate blood samples and specimens, analyze fluid elements, utilize laboratory equipment safely, create reports of findings, and alert medical personnel and medical technologists of emergency conditions. A medical laboratory technician must have excellent knowledge of the medical industry disciplines and processes to perform sensitive tasks and release accurate medical results.
Senior medical technologists and medical laboratory technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Medical Technologist | Medical Laboratory Technician | |
| Average salary | $60,849 | $51,780 |
| Salary range | Between $44,000 And $84,000 | Between $37,000 And $71,000 |
| Highest paying City | Palo Alto, CA | Los Angeles, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Baptist Health Care | Favorite Healthcare Staffing |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a senior medical technologist and a medical laboratory technician in terms of educational background:
| Senior Medical Technologist | Medical Laboratory Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Associate Degree, 55% |
| Most common major | Medical Technician | Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science |
| Most common college | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | University of Maryland - College Park |
Here are the differences between senior medical technologists' and medical laboratory technicians' demographics:
| Senior Medical Technologist | Medical Laboratory Technician | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 38.6% Female, 61.4% | Male, 29.3% Female, 70.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.9% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 17.0% Asian, 12.0% White, 54.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% | Black or African American, 11.6% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 16.9% Asian, 11.9% White, 53.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |